Kurama, Sesshoumaru's General: Rewrite
by Toki Mirage
Summary: IY YYH CROSSOVER Kurama wakes up as a slave in the world of Inu Yasha. The story follows his purchase by Sesshoumaru, and his efforts to escape slavery by becoming a... gladiator? After winning his freedom, he becomes Sesshoumaru's General. REWRITE
1. Chapter 1

_I have decided, after receiving the following review in response to my story, that this fic could indeed use a good thorough editing*cough*REWRITE*cough*. I don't hold much love for my older fictions, but after the attitude I received in this review, I have decided to do this for one reason only: so I don't delete the story. I know there are people out there who like this fic, even though I despise it, but if it's going to remain on the site then the level of writing must be elevated to prevent such negativity in the future._

_I do have to thank this author, however, for not making this an Anonymous review, as that's just a chicken shit way to go._

Review:

I love, love, love the plot and the basic idea you have here but the terrible execution of it makes me wince. Why all the quote marks around words as random as village slaves? Why the extreme overuse of the parenthesis? Many of the fragments you put inside of them could simply be another sentence or added with commas. It makes for a very irritating read. Also, you don't have to explain and mention every single mundane detail of the characters! It's tedious and takes away from the more significant details. You're writing a story full of action, drama, and suspense, not someone's diary!

If you even do ONE of these things I've suggested, your writing will be much cleaner and focused. I do like the amount of attention and detail you put into this; it's very obvious, but a lot of the impact is lost when you mention random, minor characters (like the mercenary in the cell) that we will never see again so it's not even foreshadowing. It might help you slow down parts of your character development too. Has your English teacher ever mentioned "show, not tell"? Rather than SAYING Sesshoumaru despises Hikune, give us some concrete examples, a bit more of Hikune's negative characteristics. Though why someone as powerful and cold as Sesshoumaru would have a problem of killing him and getting a new general is unclear... Plot hole you might want to clear up if Hikune proves to be a significant villain?

Wow... I'm sorry this review turned into a rant. I'm just really disappointed to have to forge through this un-proofed writing just so I can find out what happens. XD Seeing as you're finished with this already, I hope you'll at least keep my suggestions in mind when writing in the future!

Response:

Well, I have to say I was a little taken aback by your review. If you think my writing requires so much work, I suggest you take a look at my more /recent/ work. That story is close to 4 years old. The only reason it's still posted, as I don't like it myself, is that some people would be angry at me if I removed it. And if you don't like a story, please don't force yourself to trudge through it just so you can take out your disappointment when you reach the end.

Some of your advice is very good, and stuff that I have learned through years of experience and Authors Conferences, where I have had the opportunity to have my original work critiqued by published writers. I suggest next time you wish to provide input to a budding writer, don't use words such as 'terrible' and 'wince'. We're all learning here, and an attitude such as the one found in this review will not help /anybody/ learn, and creates negative feelings all around.

Mirage

On with the revision:

**Kurama, Sesshoumaru's General: Rewrite**

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Chapter One:

sSs

The first thing Kurama saw when he opened his eyes was an orange blur. He blinked his bleary eyes and tried to focus his mind on his surroundings. With his eyes nearly useless, he fell on his sense of smell. Humans. Quite a few of them, and none had bathed recently. He crinkled his delicate nose and tried to ignore the cloying urine and body odour that sent his vision spinning.

Breathing through his mouth to lesson the scents overwhelming his senses, he accidently inhaled some dirt. Coughing, his body curled into a ball in confusion in an attempt to protect itself from its unknown assailant. As he moved, his cheek scraped against the dirt he was laying on.

Moving his body also brought to his attention aching muscles and joints. He'd been in a battle recently, and the level of stiffness was likely from healing while not being allowed to move. How long had he been unconscious?

He tried slowly opening his eyes again to assess his surroundings, not wanting to make the same mistake as he had made with his nose. He could see blurs of orange and brown, and a large blue above that was likely the sky. Blinking rapidly, his vision slowly came into focus.

He could see the humans now. A few were watching him warily with tired black eyes. The dark shadows under them, and the gaunt lines of their faces spoke of trying times and little food.

Suppressing a groan as he shifted his sore muscles, he slowly moved himself into an upright position. His head swam a little at the movement, but as he forced himself to wait patiently the world began to come into clarity.

He was in a cage.

Blinking furiously, his eyes darted around the small enclosure, looking for an escape from the metal bars. He found a door, but no obvious means of breaking free. Biting his lip in pain, he began to shift himself towards an empty side of the cage in order to lean against it but paused. Looking towards the humans, he saw that they had huddled themselves in the center of the cage, away from the bars.

He desperately wanted to lean against something for support, but he couldn't deny that there was probably a very good reason none of the humans had done so. Suppressing another groan of pain, he lowered himself back to the ground and tried to get comfortable. He needed to rest to increase his energy, and he was incredibly thirsty, but from the looks of the unhealthy humans some feet from him, his captors didn't care for the health of their prisoners.

So, he waited and observed.

He located two guards outside the cage. They smelled of _demon_. Alarm sent adrenaline flowing into his bloodstream. What were demons doing in the human realm? Or were they in the demon realm? The clear blue sky, however, would make him conclude that they were in the human realm. Which brought him full circle – what were demons doing in the human realm?

He forced himself to relax again. Getting 'freaked out', as Yusuke would say, would not help him solve this situation, and would in fact prevent him from recovering his strength. So he kept his eyes on the demons and the humans who were still watching him warily.

The sun was high in the sky when he heard it. Feet, voices, whips cracking, what sounded like creaking wood and sobbing cries. They slowly grew closer, and Kurama watched for the next hour or so as the empty clearing they had been sitting in slowly turned into what he could only call a bazaar. Stands were set up, and various products were put on display – from food to humans to animals. Or maybe all the demons saw was food, food, and food. He had no idea. What he did know was that he had enough energy stored from his rest to transform his rose and perhaps escape. If he was lucky. He would need to wait for a more opportune moment, however.

The bazaar came to life as evening approached, but the demons who guarded the cage Kurama found himself in seemed content to either leave their 'merchandise' inside, or wait until later for the 'unveiling'. Kurama felt a deep loathing knot his stomach as he watched the other stands where humans and coin traded hands. Some demons didn't even wait to be clear of the bazaar before feasting on their purchases. He had only been human for 18 years, but even as a demon he had had no particular interest in humans for their flesh or sex. He hadn't seen feasting and raping like this for so long… he wished he didn't have to see it again.

It was only when the sun was an hour from setting that the demons watching their cage finally moved.

"Get up! All of you!" one of them growled, a vicious smirk on his face. Kurama watched him with hidden distaste as he cracked the whip for no more reason than to intimidate. Not that he needed to. The only human in the cage who wasn't completely terrified was Kurama. And Kurama was a normal human by no means.

The human with the soul of a fox demon watched as the humans of his cage were slowly herded out of their enclosure and cuffed with metal chains. Soon, Kurama was the last in the cage. The demon glared at him, motioning him forward, but Kurama just stood there. Before he could react, the demon was in his face, clawed hand wrapped around his neck.

"If you don't obey, human," he growled, and Kurama could smell the human blood on his breath, "then I will find more pleasure in eating you alive than selling you. Your _hands._"

Kurama suppressed the growl he wanted to voice at the audacity of the demon before him. He could sense the demon's strength, and while he was strong for the job he carried out, Kurama could have killed him in seconds had he been in better condition. These feelings of frustration and anger kept him company as the demon bound his hands together and roughly pushed him out of the cage, attaching him to the line of other humans.

He watched with narrowed eyes as the humans attached to his line were slowly sold off, one by one. He watched as time after time, a demon would name a price for his own person and be rejected by two demons selling him. It was only his highly attuned hearing that informed him the amounts that were being offered, which were more than twice what the other humans were being sold for, were _not enough_. Which then brought up the dreadful question: why was _he_ worth so much.

It wasn't until later that evening he got his answer.

sSs

Sesshoumaru walked gracefully down the aisles of the bazaar, a look of supreme disinterest on his face. He was here, once again, to buy humans for the gladiator matches he held in contempt. Why the other demon lords enjoyed the senseless carnage of humans killing one another or being killed by lesser demons he would never understand. He found the entire experience a waste of his time, but as the Lord of the Western Lands he was obligated to attend and contribute some 'gladiators' of his own.

Humans were such disgusting creatures.

Why Hikume, one of his generals who was accompanying him on this venture, enjoyed taking part in the matches was beyond his ken. But he would never stoop to the other demon's level in order to understand that primitive reasoning.

He gave the fox demon one of his bags of coin and watched as the demon happily disappeared into the crowd of the bazaar to find humans fit for fighting. Sesshoumaru wished he were able to just send Hikume alone on this errand, but the last time he had done so all the humans had died before they'd made it to the arena.

And so he found himself wandering in disinterest among the stalls, ignoring most of the merchants and their merchandise after giving it a cursory glance.

His attention was caught, however, when he spotted a flash of blood red in the crowd. Thinking that a demon was bleeding a human for entertainment, he slowly made his way towards the source of the colour. He was surprised, however, when he discovered the source of the red was a human with _red hair_.

Approaching the human, he watched as green eyes examined the surroundings with clarity and a lack of fear that surprised Sesshoumaru, though he would never admit it. When those eyes settled on him, they widened slightly, and he felt the corner of his lips twitch upwards slightly in a smirk. Even a human as rare in appearance as this one paled in comparison to Seshoumaru.

sSs

Kurama watched the dog demon watching him with careful eyes. _This_ demon was far more powerful than any he had seen so far in this strange world where demons and humans seemed to live side by side. He was so intent on his assessment, that he flinched backwards when the demon disappeared from nearly 20 feet away and reappeared a foot from his face. He couldn't help but take a step back, but strong fingers on his chin held him in place.

He inwardly balked as the demon pushed his head side to side to examine him.

"What do you think, my lord? He's quite the pretty face, and from what we saw when we examined the goods, quite appeasing to the eye."

Kurama felt blood rush to his face. The demons had _undressed him?_ What was he supposed to be, a _sex slave?_

He glared at the demon trying to sell him. A sharp pressure on his chin, however, turned his attention back to the tall white demon. As Kurama examined him more closely, he realized exactly how much he looked like Youko. Silver hair, gold eyes, tall… was that a tail or a decoration?

"Can you fight, human?"

Kurama blinked. Fight? Why would the demon want to know if he could fight? Examining him with calculating eyes, Kurama came to a decision. "Yes."

Gold Eyes nodded and tossed a pouch of gold at the demon standing nearby. "That will be enough."

The demon opened the pouch before opening his mouth, and Kurama could deduce from the widening of his eyes that it was indeed plenty enough.

"Thank you for your business, my lord. Would you like the human bound?"

Kurama wanted to look away from them both in disgust, but new doing so could make him miss something important. Something that could increase or decrease the chances of his survival. Why a demon would ask a human if he knew how to fight, Kurama didn't know, but he was sure he didn't want to find out.

Somehow, it didn't seem that ignorance would be an option.

sSs

They had been walking for days. Of the two demons leading the long string of humans through the woods, it was the subordinate, not Gold Eyes, who watched the slaves and made sure they were fed and watered enough to move. They had latrine stops twice a day, and Kurama found himself glad that these 'masters' didn't feel the need for pointless harassment.

And although they got little rest each night, Kurama found his energy slowly returning with each meal he consumed. It was little more than bread and water, but his body had been close to shutting down upon his awakening, and he was grateful for it. Only because it increased his chance to escape.

He found himself meditating during their travel, keeping his spirit energy suppressed to the point where the demon would not detect it. He had been managing to pass as human so far only because he was currently so weak. Now that his powers were coming back, he had to be careful, for he was unsure whether revealing himself as more or less a demon would inspire his captors to free him or kill him.

It was on the fifth day that they finally reached their destination. From the stadium towering over the terrified humans, Kurama could only come to the conclusion that they were intended to fight inside it. He took a slow, calming breath. He couldn't save all these humans. He wasn't sure he could save _one_, in fact, and that tore at the human half of his soul. Youko would not have cared, but Kurama balked at the idea of letting all these humans die. However, the more reasonable part of his mind reminded him that he wasn't in terribly good condition, and he doubted that even at full power he'd be able to defeat all the demons he could sense in the stadium.

Letting out a small sigh, he let the chain pull him forward.

_-Toki Mirage-_

I got more into this fandom again after watching some episodes online, but this rewrite isn't something I'm doing because I absolutely love this fic. *shudders* It's because the old version was too atrocious for words.

Anyway, I hope you like the new and improved version! Posts may be slow, as well, because BS and LDBP are taking up most of my writing time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Kurama, Sesshoumaru's General: Rewrite**

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Chapter Two:

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The crash of metal bars against stone snapped him out of his meditation, and Kurama opened his eyes to discover the fox demon from earlier, the subordinate of Gold Eyes, to be the source of the noise. He stalked directly towards Kurama with a deep scowl set on his face.

"Get up, human."

Calmly, Kurama stood. The demon growled.

"Follow me. And if I see you try to escape, I will cut off that pretty little head of yours."

Kurama watched him. "I'm sure you'd enjoy that."

A hand flashed forward and slapped him across the face. It might have broken the jaw of a normal human. He let his face move with the motion to release some of the kinetic energy, and kept his expression neutral. So the underling didn't have much control of his emotions, like most demons.

It would make him all the easier to manipulate.

"Follow me, and no more wise cracks, or I'll crack that head of yours in two, no matter what Lord Sesshoumaru says."

Kurama kept quiet, watching as a regular guard shut the prison door behind them. They'd been moved into these holding cells two days ago and had had little contact with demons except for the one guarding the door and the servant bringing them bread and water. Such low security would make one think it was easy to escape, but Kurama hadn't stayed the leader of a band of thieves for centuries for underestimating the intelligence of his intended targets.

As they walked down a series of corridors, Kurama easily ignored the slight pain in his cheek and focused his attention on memorizing the route and putting the beginnings of a map together in his mind. Soon, the stone walls of the prison disappeared and were replaced with paper sliding doors and artwork that had gone out of style hundreds of years ago. Where _was _he?

Keeping his emotions under steady control, he turned his attention away from things he couldn't control and onto things he could. Like the demon leading him that smelled distinctly of _fox_. As if feeling the intensity of his gaze, the demon turned his head and glared. Kurama just blinked his eyes once, knowing the huge globes would make him appear as innocent as a kitten. There was an advantage to being merged with this human body, after all.

Finally, the demon came to a stop in front of a set of sliding doors that looked like any other. He knocked quietly on the frame.

"Come," a quiet, familiar voice came from within.

The demon opened the sliding door and bowed. "I have brought the human as you requested, my lord."

Kurama stared at the broad frame of Gold Eyes, who currently kneeled in front of a desk.

"You may leave, Hikume," the demon said quietly, but definitely not softly. There was a hard edge of steel to that baritone.

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru." The demon bowed and left.

Not really knowing what to do, but knowing that it would be rude to stand if a nobleman was sitting, he kneeled where he stood but couldn't bring himself to complete a full reverent bow, with his head on the mat. Keeping his head bowed slightly, he waited.

It was close to five minutes before Gold Eyes, now known to Kurama as 'Sesshoumaru', finally looked up from whatever papers he was examining. Kurama kept his eyes stubbornly on the demon's desk instead of his eyes. It would be stupid to get his head cut off in his second meeting with the demon that smelled like _dog_.

"Where are you from, human?"

Kurama blinked. He desperately wanted to ask why Sesshoumaru had bought him, why he was here at this very second, but he knew that showing such disrespect could get him killed. Pushing down his pride, he thought up an answer. "Kyoto."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "This Sesshoumaru has been to Kyoto, and there are no humans with your colouring there."

Kurama blinked and had to remind himself not to look into the golden eyes. Was he supposed to say something to that? He kept his mouth shut, since it hadn't really been a question.

"Why do you know how to fight, human?"

That was a loaded question… "There are humans and demons alike who kill and pillage villages, milord. Those who cannot defend themselves die quickly." A suitably vague answer.

The dog demon was silent for a moment, and Kurama could feel those eyes raking over his form. It was slightly… unnerving. He'd had humans and demons alike assess him and be attracted to him, but he couldn't tell what kind of interest _this_ demon had in him. He was so difficult to read in voice and facial expression.

"Would you rather die in battle or live as a slave to a demon?"

Kurama wasn't sure whether 'slave' encompassed chores or sex, and either way, he didn't care. Youko Kurama didn't _serve_. "If this is an offer, milord, I thank you for the choice. I would prefer to die in battle."

Sesshoumaru stood from his desk, and Kurama stiffened. What was the… Sesshoumaru came to a stop right in front of Kurama and a clawed came to cup his chin and turn his head upwards. He looked into cool gold eyes, wondering what was going through the stoic demon's mind.

"This Sesshoumaru does not take pleasure in humans."

Kurama just kept staring up at him. 'Then why are you looking at me like that?' he wondered to himself, but apparently Sesshoumaru couldn't read minds because an answer wasn't forthcoming.

The hand holding his chin released and travelled to his hair, where it absently began to play with the wavy red strands. Still, nothing was said, and Sesshoumaru's expression didn't even give away any kind of logic that Kurama could read.

"And if this Sesshoumaru did not give you a choice? What would you do, human, if this Sesshoumaru forced you into his bed?"

Kurama kept his expression serene, and kept any kind of feelings of confrontation from his eyes. What could he say to that that wouldn't get him killed? He was still planning on making an escape and figuring out a way to get home. He'd probably use the gladiator matches as a cover. Cause some havoc. But if he got himself chained to some demon's futon, he wasn't sure he'd ever get out of here with his dignity intact.

When he had remained silent for too long, the hand in his hair tightened. Letting out a soft hissing breath at the pain, like a human would, Kurama tried to think up a proper answer. "I- I would prefer to die a free man, milord."

"You did not answer. What would you do if you were forced into this Sesshoumaru's bed?"

While Sesshoumaru was indeed attractive, Kurama wasn't sure he wanted to risk having sex with the demon. What if it got too rough for this body to handle? What if Sesshoumaru got tired of him and pawned him off to that fox general from earlier? Or even worse, a demon that wasn't even humanoid in form? The possibilities were endless, and he'd never have control of his future if he remained a slave.

He still hadn't figured out the answer to the question! The hand in his hair was tightening again, and Kurama could see an impatient anger in Sesshoumaru's eyes. "I would survive milord, until I could escape," he answered honestly, making a calculated decision.

The anger in the gold eyes disappeared and was replaced with interest. "And what if you could not escape?"

Kurama's eyes burned. "Then I supposed I would be forced to stay here, milord."

"You were not born into slavery, human?"

Kurama was going to shake his head in a negative, but figured it unwise with the hand still tight in his hair. "No, milord." Was the demon actually curious? For someone dead set on reiterating that humans meant nothing to him, Sesshoumaru seemed mighty interested in _Kurama_.

"For how long have you been a slave?"

Kurama counted the days. "About a week."

A silver eyebrow rose. "Are you a demon hunter?"

Kurama blinked. Demon hunter? Sesshoumaru was probably talking about humans that trained to kill demons. Could Kurama be considered one? In reality he was an on-call spirit detective… who went around killing demons trying to take over the world and somesuch. "I guess."

Gold eyes narrowed. "You are, or you are not, human."

"Fine. I don't actively go seeking demons to kill, but if a demon is attacking humans with no justifiable reason, I will kill him."

Sesshoumaru inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. "And if this Sesshoumaru wanted you in his bed, do you think you could defeat him?"

Kurama turned calculating eyes on the dog demon, also making use of his spiritual senses to gauge the strength and skill of the demon. Appearances could be deceiving, after all. Sesshoumaru could either be a powerhouse or one of the weakest demons in the lands. Since he was a _lord_, however, and had an army to command, it was more likely that Sesshoumaru was one of the more powerful demons, not unlike the situation in Demon World. If Kurama had had trouble going against Karasu in human form, he didn't think he was going to have much luck in _this_ situation. "Probably not."

"So you are merely foolish, not lacking in intelligence."

Kurama didn't know what to say to _that_.

"The survivor of the battles faces the General of one of the Four Lords. This year it is Hikume, the General of the Western Lands. Do you think you can defeat this Sesshoumaru's General and escape?"

Kurama thought back to the dim-witted fox demon he had observed during their travel to this stadium. His power levels had been around Karasu's. Speaking of power levels, did Sesshoumaru always keep his aura suppressed? Kurama still didn't know where he stood in comparison to this 'lord'. "Yes, I believe I can."

Two silver eyebrows rose slightly. "Then we shall see tomorrow if your belief will keep you alive."

Kurama's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. Did this mean that Sesshoumaru was sticking to his earlier vow that he didn't take pleasure in humans?

"Hikume," Sesshoumaru called, pulling his hand from Kurama's hair. "Return the slave to his cell and ensure that all slaves have been fed and watered for the battles tomorrow."

Hikume, who had slid open the door, bowed and pulled Kurama from the floor. With a shove, he was sent walking down the hallway, barely catching a glimpse of Sesshoumaru as the demon turned back to his desk and his papers.

Tomorrow was going to be an… interesting day, to say the least. With his spirit energy nearly completely recovered, Kurama figured he could survive it.

Hopefully.


	3. Chapter 3

**Kurama, Sesshoumaru's General: Rewrite**

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Chapter Three:

sSs

"Get up, human filth! Today is the day you die!"

Kurama looked up from the half-stale bread he'd been taking bites of, not feeling intimidated in the least by the guard currently sending the humans spiralling down into terror. He could smell some fighters amongst the group keeping their calm and focusing on staying alive, but most of the bodies down in these prisons were merely cannon fodder. Kurama wouldn't have been able to save them even if he wanted to.

Especially now that he'd measured Sesshoumaru in person. Unless he could calculate a plan where the survivors could escape… but there were too many variables, and he didn't have enough information. It was beginning to vex him. Back home he had connections, valuable information about multiple powerful demons that could threaten him, and he knew the way the political situation worked.

Here, he had none of that to tilt things in his favour.

The door to the cell he shared with a few other humans swung open with a clang. The demon grinned, holding chains in his hand. Kurama met the demon's eyes steadily as the bulky dead-weight attached his manacles to the chains in his hand, intending to string them up like fish. When the demon appeared almost unnerved by his cold eyes, Kurama smirked slightly. He still had it.

But then he caught himself. The Youko part of his personality was coming to far to the fore, with all the terror in the air and his current situation awakening the most cutthroat and calculating part of his brain. He would survive this… but at what cost? Shuuichi had been the first casualty… would Kurama be the next to fade away?

"Get moving!" the guard shouted, tugging on the chains. Kurama almost didn't move by accident, the demon's pull was so pitifully weak. When his split second hesitation in moving was corrected, and he fell with the yank, the demon over-extended and landed on his ass.

Kurama couldn't help but feel vindictive amusement.

Ten minutes later, Kurama was wishing he could kill all the humans himself if only so his headache would go away. Which told him that he was beginning to lose the mental fight for dominance if he was getting bloodthirsty. Closing his eyes, he breathed as shallowly as he could and tried to stay sane long enough to get his ass out of there.

"Alright you pile of human trash! Beyond this door is the arena you die in. Try to go out with a splash, eh? Hahahaha!" he crowed, throwing the doors open and shoving them through. Some humans tried to stay back and not go into the arena, but that was foiled quickly as the humans already in the arena started running and dragged the stragglers attached to them through the doors.

Kurama moved with the crowd, already calculating was he could get himself detached from the herd of sheep that would inevitably die in the next couple minutes. If they were lucky.

The sun blinded him for a moment before his eyes adjusted, and when they did he couldn't help but stare at the large centipede-like creature currently chomping at the guy at the beginning of his line. Looking around for a weapon, he narrowed his eyes in irritation when he found none. How were they supposed to survive if they were all attached to one another like a string of sausages?

But then again, they _weren't_ supposed to survive.

Eyeing the centipede, he wondered if its teeth were strong and sharp enough to break the chains. Yes, he could probably break them himself if he powered up, but it was likely one of the more powerful Generals would kill him if they found out he was a half-breed. Mixing the blood had never been looked well upon in the Demon or Human Realm, so why would that be any different here? Best to remain under the radar until he could calculate enough variables in his favour to make blowing his cover worth the possible repercussions.

The centipede yanked its head at that moment, sending Kurama sprawling forward and almost faceplanting into the ground before the sheer force of the movement ripped his entire chain into the air. The linked humans whipped around in the air, some of them getting snatched out of the air and eaten along with their metal manacles. Kurama managed to land on the things back and wrapped his chain around one of the spikes there, using the moment the centipede pulled the chain taut to snap it himself and make it look like it had been an accident. Jumping off the centipede's side, he made a run for the edge of the stadium, keeping his spiritual senses open possible danger.

It didn't follow him, quite happy with its human sausage chain. From there, he could see some of the other humans had been lucky enough to break away from their fellow cannon fodder and were huddling together in groups along the edges of the stadium. Leaning against the wall, he resolved to wait there. As he didn't stink of terror like the other humans, the centipede was less likely to come after him itself. As it was of a beast-like mind, it associated such terror with 'food' and searched for its prey by scent.

Unfortunately, his plan didn't last long. A second round of humans were released into the pit, but these ones were different. They had weapons in hand and seemed to be directed by one gladiator. Kurama watched, slightly impressed, as they took the centipede demon down with strategy, capturing it with chains before gutting it's weaker underbelly.

Kurama didn't bother joining in the cheer of victory, knowing it was far from the end.

As if on cue, a large door to Kurama's right started opening, and the redhead mentally cursed as he saw the pack of wolves that came out, running towards him. Running towards the centipede, he quickly assessed the pile of dead soldiers on the ground and picked out a suitable weapon. He'd never been a fan of using a sword, but he was not unfamiliar with one. Grabbing it off the ground, he turned around just in time for a three-eyed wolf to jump on top of him and try to rip his throat out. Gritting his teeth from the effort of holding back against the mindless beast, he skewered it through the chest and threw it off of him when it collapsed. Getting quickly to his feet, he slashed at the head of the next wolf and scowled when he missed and it pulled back to circle him with two other cautious pack members. Keeping up his guard, Kurama calculated multiple ways he could deal with the approaching attack.

Before he could completely make up his mind, one wolf jumped at his back and he was spinning on his feet with perfect balance, already having calculated the weight and wield of the sword into his movements. With a smooth slash, he cleaved its head in half.

Or at least, that had been his intent. Instead, the dull blade got stuck in the wolf's skull and he was forced to abandon it or get torn to pieces by its packmates. Moving by instinct, he flipped backwards, over the attacking wolves heads and away from the rest of the pack attacking the group of humans. Landing on his hands, he pushed off the ground and flew backwards, bringing his hands up in preparation for the wolf that was right on his tail. Grabbing its forepaws, he let his feet hit the ground as he bent his body into a crouch. The curve of his back worked like a wheel, and just as his momentum brought him to his shoulders, he tucked in his head, coiled his legs beneath him, and nailed the wolf right in the stomach, sending it flying over him and into the wall behind with a loud _crunch_.

By expelling most of his kinetic force through the kick, his body was slowed enough that he could land on his feet easily enough and not go crashing into the wall himself. Sliding for a few feet, he used the time he spent bringing his body to a halt to examine the current situation.

The third wolf had abandoned its pursuit, thankfully, having some modicum of self preservation despite the fact that its brain was the size of a peanut. It joined the rest of the pack, attacking the humans that were easier prey.

Kurama used this time to gather his breath, knowing that unnecessarily expending energy this early in the game could easily result in his death.

Unfortunately, the world had other plans for him.

A sword stabbed him through the stomach, and Kurama gasped at the sudden explosion of demonic energy behind him as his new enemy stopped hiding its demon energy. Jumping forward, he ignored the feeling of the blade slipping from his body and turned around to see who was trying to kill him next.

A lizard man with a tail. A grin showed off rows of sharp teeth, and the sheer length of the sword it had buried in his gut worried him. If he couldn't get close enough to attack hand-to-hand, he might have to resort to more… extreme measures. Not to mention he was bleeding rather heavily from this stomach wound. It hadn't hit anything vital, but that wasn't luck. That was skill. The demon hadn't wanted it to end so pathetically.

Kurama was angry with himself that it was only the demon's own arrogance that had saved his life in that moment.

Grabbing a seed from his hair, he slipped it into the wound as the lizard came at him again. This particular plant didn't require that he use his demon energy to feed it and give it life, as it fed on blood. It would serve as a temporary patch for the wound and prevent the chance of blood loss taking him out of the game.

Slipping into a stance that would allow him to easily move onto the offensive or defensive, he prepared for the next attack.

And was surprised when a blade came flying his way. Catching it out of the air, he couldn't stop himself from frowning in confusion at the act.

"I've been watching you," the lizard said in a surprisingly clear voice considering how long its tongue was. "You don't move like a normal human. You've had training. And experience. No inexperienced warrior could have calculated the precise timing and strength it would take to throw that lesser wolf demon like you did. What are you doing among this rabble?"

Kurama tilted his head to the side. "I'm afraid I don't understand your question," he began serenely. "I am here for the same reason everyone else is. We are slaves."

The lizard frowned. "But how did you come to _be_ a slave. I find it difficult to believe that someone of your calibre could be so easily captured by slavers."

The redhead just shrugged. "Fate. Timing. Bad luck. There are many reasons for things that happen in life, but I choose to focus on the things that I can change. I _will_ survive this tournament," Kurama said, resolute. "And if I have to kill you to do it, I will."

The lizard grinned. "You should have passed out from blood loss by now." His head tilted to the side. "I find myself looking forward to your future matches."

Kurama frowned. "You stabbed me with the intention of taking me out of the tournament, did you not?"

A toothy grin. "Perhaps. If you survive the first round today, perhaps you'll find out why." And without another word, the demon vanished without a trace. Kurama tried to find him with both his senses and eyes to no avail. He just wasn't there.

But he'd left the sword with Kurama behind. Looking down at the blade in his hands, he couldn't keep the smirk off his face. Green eyes flashed gold for a moment before returning to their original colour.

This was turning out to be quite interesting.

_-Toki Mirage-_

I've been going on a Yu Yu Hakusho binge cuz I didn't realize there were episodes past around number 96. :P I kept reaching the 72 minute mark, though, so I decided to vent my excitement through this fic, which seems to have finally livened up in my mind again.

Happy reading!~


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